If one is good, then five is better — or so the saying goes.
On Wednesday morning, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley named Gary Woodland his fifth and final vice captain, rounding out a leadership team that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks as the likelihood of a Bradley player-captaincy has increased.
Bethpage will be Woodland’s first appearance in the Ryder Cup in any fashion. Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champ, has played on only one U.S. team in his pro career, the victorious 2019 Presidents Cup squad. Still, his team sport experience as a former college basketball player and general resume as one of golf’s most likable Tour pros lends him an easy voice of authority in the American team room.
“I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for Gary and all he has accomplished in this game,” Bradley said in a release announcing Woodland’s captaincy. “As a major champion and someone who is still competing at a high level, he is well aware of the demands of performing on golf’s biggest stages. He will be a valuable leader for us over the coming months and throughout the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.”
Woodland will join Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as assistant captains for the U.S. Squad — a role that has served as largely ceremonial in past years but could play an outsize role in this year’s playing of the Cup. Bradley, 39, is facing fresh calls to serve as a playing captain on this year’s Ryder Cup team thanks to an emotional victory at the Travelers Championship.
Bradley has sidestepped a direct answer to calls for him to play in the event, and he ostensibly has until the end of the summer before making a final decision. Should he commit to play on the American side, his chosen assistants could take on a larger portion of the competitive proceedings, navigating the logistics of golf’s biennial match play event in the captain’s stead.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to Keegan for the opportunity to support the U.S. Team at the 2025 Ryder Cup,” Woodland said in the same release. “Keegan’s passion for this event is contagious and I am thrilled to be a part of it. With just over two months to go until we arrive at Bethpage, I am fully committed to doing everything I can to help Keegan as well as our team of vice captains and players.”
Beyond his role as an assistant captain, Woodland represents the latest in Bradley’s efforts to reshape the direction of U.S. Ryder Cup leadership. Woodland, 41, is one of the most respected voices in American pro golf, and his recovery from brain surgery during the 2023 season has served as one of golf’s true feel-good stories over the last several seasons.
For an American side in a transition period of leadership (outside of voices like Tiger Woods), Woodland represents an intriguing fit for future Ryder Cup leadership. It is hard to say now exactly how his role will look, but he is a face to watch come early September.
